Is Marvin Austin the answer in round two

[DaBruinz]

I have Brace at 6034 and Pryor at just a smidge over 6'1". But I agree with your point.

Brace, I believe was specifically drafted as a reserve NT/utility DT-DE at a time when, perhaps, Wilfork's future with the Pats was still a bit uncertain. Brace's development has been slow, but he did seem to make some progress this season in spite of being thrown into extreme circumstances. The only question would be whether or not is was ENOUGH progress for BB, though I tend to think so.

Pryor, OTOH, I think was draft specifically for the 40-front "sub-packages" that BB knew we'd be playing extensively until he could refill the 30-front LDE spot properly. Pryor could survive the retrenchment away from extensive 40-front deployments (that I believe is coming) as an interior sub-rusher (ala, Mike Wright). But he's relatively expendable.

Austin has much more talent that Pryor, I think, but his "natural" position is probably about to be significantly scaled back with the 2011 Pats D-line. Which is what I was saying - the only way Austin makes sense is if (A) BB is after all dissatisfied with Brace, and (B) Austin could reasonably add the weight an play NT better than Brace. Both things seem unlikely to me.

I think you mean the RDE slot that was formerly held by Seymour. The LDE spot is where Ty Warren lines up.

 

[DaBruinz]

what is wrong with you people. I'm trying to say Brace isn't the answer at defensive end and we simply don't need him as a backup nose tackle because love is just as good. The fact that they even used a second round pick on a BACKUP nose tackle or even a replacement for Wilfork in that matter is just astounding to me. If they were consered about Wilfork they could've waited til later in the draft to take a nose tackle. Now they're stuck with Brace, who shows up overweight and unproductive.

What is wrong with you? You spout off that Brace isn't the answer and make assinine claims that Kyle Love played as good as Brace did. Sorry, but Brace was the Best DE that the Pats had last year when he was healthy. He was better than Gerard Warren or Eric Moore or a host of others.

Now, is Brace at the Ty Warren level? No. He's got steps to go. But he sure as hell made steps last year. You saying otherwise tells me you either hate the guy and refuse to acknolwedge it or you didn't watch him.

Also, Brace didn't show up over-weight last season. As a rookie, yes. But not last year. You seem to be working off of incorrect information as well.

As for Miles Austin, I don't see him as a Pats Type player because of his suspension. Not to mention that he's supposedly a "me first" kind of guy. And I haven't heard anything from interviews this spring that would lead me to believe that he learned any humility from his suspension.

 

[bucky]

Very well.
-- We anticipate NE using their base 3-4, it's what they do. At the same time, the demand for 3-4 capable prospects is growing. There is nothing published to indicate if NE is staying with the 3-4; as a corollary, with 57% sub-package rate last season and over 50% for the two prior seasons, the demand for 40 front prospects has increased, even at the risk of reducing the effectiveness of the 30 front.

This is a very interesting point. It's always possible for BB to change his base D and given the increase in 34 teams, 43 talent actually seems easier to find these days. However, I believe if the switch were in the cards, it should have been made last year by reallocating the money paid to Vince and TBC to Peppers.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

This is a very interesting point. It's always possible for BB to change his base D and given the increase in 34 teams, 43 talent actually seems easier to find these days. However, I believe if the switch were in the cards, it should have been made last year by reallocating the money paid to Vince and TBC to Peppers.

Reportedly Peppers was offered a contract worth an average of $10M/year by NE. He got a better deal in Chicago. Given how NE uses a budget formula for each position, it seems unreasonable to discredit a 30/40 front switch based strictly on the Peppers deal.

We are also left to consider BB's disinclination to change his football principles between fronts; two-gap is two-gap in a 30 or 40, the assignments merely differ. After watching Chicago shut it down last season on their own field because the conditions made it impossible for their one-gap attackers to fire off the ball and penetrate against NE's O-line, I see why perpetually sunny and placid SE MA-based NE might prefer the approach they use. Big Vince's tidy little contract wasn't unreasonable for a premier immovable object in the midst of the D-line, and lest we forget, he was a "Baby Sapp" in his collegiate days as a 1-shade and 3-tech. Damn those cheap Patriots anyway.

I really don't anticipate NE getting away from their multiple-front, two-gapping bad selves, but it's not unreasonable to think there are developments in how the game is being played which make a mild shift in emphasis from 30 to 40 fronts more favorable. Certainly a pass happy NFL feeding it's fantasy football marketing methodology puts more of an emphasis on what have been sub-packages until now.